49 History Music Tech Syllabus

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• Contact Bruce Tambling
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Course Description

The history of music technology and sound recording from the earliest analog devices to current digital streaming services. How technological change is inseparable from economic, cultural and political change. Ways that music producers responded to different access of technologies shaped by geographical and economic factors. Historical, cultural and theoretical understanding of recorded sound, media, and digital distribution. How the digital era, laptop computers and mobile phones made home studios the dominant location for commercial record production. Hands-on experience with a variety of analog and digital audiovisual technologies. Identify hallmark sounds from commercially released recordings by historically significant audio engineers, music producers and artists.

Learning Objectives

1. Evaluate the effects of music technology on history and culture
   • Understand the interaction and unity between art, science and technology
2. Understand how sound waves are converted into analog and digital signals
3. Explain how performing artists transitioned from being a live band to a recording ensemble
4. Understand how the recording studio became a laboratory for constructing sophisticated musical imaginings
   • Compare and contrast live recordings and multitrack studio recordings
5. Explain how audio engineers contribute to the creation of recorded music
6. Understand the evolution of microphone technology and how this impacted the recording industry
   • Examine how music technology changed the way vocals are experienced on recordings
7. Understand how technology transformed the acoustic guitar into an electric instrument
8. Consider the ways technology can be integrated into the human creative process
   • Trace music technologies to the specific historical, social and political contexts from which they emerged
   • Discuss how the careers of recording artists reflect the attitudes of the society
9. Demonstrate knowledge of the history of sampling
   • Question and analyze concepts of originality in music and other art forms
   • Understand how changes in technology expanded the range and use of sampled music
   • Understand what sampling is as both a musical and technological practice
10. Explain how cassette tapes allowed the listener to record, compile and disseminate music
11. Understand how synthesizers allowed musicians to create new sounds
    • Explain how synthesized sounds reflected American culture throughout the 20th century
12. Understand how amplification the guitar facilitated its emergence as a dominant instrument of popular music
13. Analyze how high-tech companies interact with and influence the music technology industry.

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this class.

Course Outline

1. The Art of Recording
2. Painting With Sound
3. The Human Instrument
4. Going Electric
5. Four on the Floor
6. The World Is Yours
7. Sound and Vision
8. I Am My Music
9. The Defiant Ones 1-2
10. The Defiant Ones 3-4
11. Final Reflection

Required Accounts and Subscriptions

1. Canvas
   • Canvas is the LMS, Learning Management System, used and required at all California Community Colleges
   • For more info check out: Intro to Canvas Resources
2. MusicTech Wiki
   • Free website created to support this class
   • Username and Password provided in Canvas
3. LinkedIn Learning
   • FREE for students
4. Register pureMix Free
   • pureMix is one of the best online music production educational spaces on the planet

Required Hardware

Computer

1. Although iOS and Android mobile devices are getting more powerful all the time, Music Technology students need a computer to do a lot of this work
   • Either a Mac or Windows computer is fine
2. As much RAM as you can afford
3. As much internal storage as you can afford
4. Processor speeds are not as important

Additional Storage

• Dedicated Media Drive is recommended

Required Software

1. Any DAW (Digital Audio Workstation)
   • Including Pro Tools, Logic, Ableton Love, FL Studio, Cubase, Digital Performer, Reaper, GarageBand, Audacity etc.

Required Video Content

Soundbreaking: Stories from the Cutting Edge of Recorded Music

Authors: Robert Santelli, George Sir Martin

Publisher: PBS

Available on Amazon Streaming: $19.95

Suggested Textbooks

The History of Music Production

Author: Richard James Burgess

Kindle: $29.49

Publisher: Oxford University Press; 1st edition (July 25, 2014)

ISBN-13: 978-0199357178

ISBN-10: 019935717X

Chasing Sound: Technology, Culture, and the Art of Studio Recording

Author: Susan Schmidt Horning

Kindle: $22.49

Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press; Reprint edition (December 1, 2015)

ISBN-13: 978-1421418483

ISBN-10: 1421418487

The Art of Music Production: The Theory and Practice

Author: Richard James Burgess

Kindle: $27.37

Publisher: Oxford University Press; 4th edition (September 2, 2013)

ISBN-10: 0199921725

ISBN-13: 978-0199921720

UNSPSC Code: 55101500

Copyright and Intellectual Property

Your contributions to this class are a vital ingredient for all of us. The exchange of information and sharing of the creative process contribute to a rich learning experience often greater than any textbook could provide. Music Technology Classes involve the creation of digital media content. Students will retain full ownership of all their works and copyrights. Copyright protection subsists from the time the work is created in fixed form. The copyright in the work of authorship immediately becomes the property of the author who created the work. Only the author, or those deriving their rights through the author, can rightfully claim copyright. In other words, you hold the copyright once you've written it.

Diverse Range of Students

We acknowledge the diversity of the students in all of our Music Tech courses. Many of you join our classes ranging in age and with different backgrounds, experience levels, and skill sets. In teaching so many diverse students, one of our challenges as professors is to provide a personalized experience for all of our students so that you may get the most out of each course and walk away with skills and knowledge that you feel will benefit you for the future. That being said, given the diversity of your backgrounds, it is possible that at certain points, the courses may not be moving at the pace that you would like, whether that be too fast or too slow. If you feel the course is moving too fast and falling behind, please message me as soon as possible so we can help you get caught up and point you in the right direction for resources and materials to help you. If you feel the course is moving too slowly, we would also like you to contact us ASAP and let us know. We have many supplementary materials, including hundreds of articles, videos, and exercises, so you can learn at your preferred pace and get the most out of each course.

Welcome to Class!

We are all in this class because we are moved and inspired by the magnificent magic of music and sound. We are fascinated with Music Technology and the rapidly evolving tools and techniques used in the creative process. Learning the art and science of music production also requires focused work and self-discipline. You should plan on dedicating time each week to study and explore. Your instructors are here to help - so we can all learn and grow together.